My bicycle is our second car. I love to bicycle in all weather, for all distances, and on all routes. Bicycling has brought so much joy to my life, and I want to share it with anyone who is interested. I will use my soapbox to tell you about the
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My bicycle is our second car. I love to bicycle in all weather, for all distances, and on all routes. Bicycling has brought so much joy to my life, and I want to share it with anyone who is interested. I will use my soapbox to tell you about the joys, the freedom, the benefits, and, yes, the challenges of bicycling and walking for transportation.

When we transitioned to the new website, almost a full year of old posts was lost. I'll be re-posting some of them. This was my introductory post.

I’m really excited about the chance to have my own soapbox to talk about my favorite subject: bicycling and walking. I started biking for transportation 8 years ago when we became a one-car family. I bicycled for convenience. I didn’t expect to love it! And we never did buy that second car.

Safety. So many young people in my life have tragically died in cars. I feel safer when my daughter and I are on bicycles.

Health. The first year I biked, I lost 25 pounds without dieting. This isn’t uncommon—average weight loss for bicycle commuters is 12 pounds. You don’t have to start out skinny to be a cyclist. You might not end up skinny either—but you will end up healthier.

Low cost. I love not having a car payment! When the price of gas rises, my savings increase, and I feel like I’m making more money.

The ego trip. I have to admit, I love being admired for biking in all kinds of crazy weather, or for biking crazy long distances. Bicycling feeds my over-large ego!

Educational. As a new cyclist I had so much to learn about bicycles. Nowadays, I’m learning about government and policy. When I was in high school, I would never have believed that government and politics are so exciting!

I look forward to “meeting” the Kirksville Daily Express readers, and maybe seeing some of you on foot or on bicycles around town!